St. Louis-area health officials are worried that people who don鈥檛 trust the COVID-19 vaccine are becoming hesitant to get other immunizations.
Clinical trials have proven the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and largely effective at preventing serious illness and death. But health workers are concerned that conspiracy theories about how scientists developed the vaccine, along with mistrust of public health agencies, could be leading some people to avoid other immunizations, such as the yearly flu shot.
鈥淲e have seen a decrease in uptake for influenza and other adult immunizations and things we see requests for,鈥 like shingles, said Sara Evers, acting health director of the St. Charles County Health Department. 鈥淚 can say anecdotally, people are questioning a lot about their health care more.鈥
Doctors expect the flu virus to spread more this year as fewer people take public health precautions against the coronavirus. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to get the flu vaccine this season.
Fewer people are getting flu shots this year compared to this point last year, when many people were staying home, said Missouri Health and Senior Services Don Kauerauf.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 24% of children have gotten their flu shot this season, down from 32% in 2020. About 22% of pregnant people have gotten their 2021 flu shot, a decrease of 16 percentage points from the year before.
The coronavirus pandemic laid bare problems with access and distrust of the medical system, Kauerauf said. People are more skeptical about the health services they get and the organizations disseminating information.
鈥淭en years, 20 years ago ... we just came out with the information. We鈥檇 post the need to vaccinate, largely it was accepted, and it went through,鈥 Kauerauf said. 鈥淲e cannot use the old playbook. We鈥檙e going to have to go back and be much more educative on the front end.鈥
Public health officials must provide access and accurate information to counter falsehoods that proliferate on social media, said Lakesha Butler, a pharmacy professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
鈥淭he message is unfortunately spreading,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here is now potentially this hesitancy with other vaccines. And it鈥檚 more of 鈥業鈥檒l just wait, it鈥檚 not a priority.鈥欌
Doctors in the St. Louis region say adults are skeptical of vaccinations.
Dr. Ken Haller, a pediatrician at Danis Pediatrics in St. Louis and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Hospital, hasn鈥檛 seen a decrease in the number of vaccinations for his child patients. But he鈥檚 seen concerns from parents, who are mostly looking for more information, he said.
鈥淕enerally, if we have a conversation about that, what people are really looking for is reassurance that we have looked at the studies, and this is going to be safe for their kids,鈥 Haller said. 鈥淯nfortunately, there's so much out there in various media raising unfounded questions about it. Questions that really have no foundation, that鈥檚 causing some anxiety.鈥
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